Ericksen save-the-whales bill puts emphasis on new salmon hatcheries

  OLYMPIA – A proposal from state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, would leverage private investment in salmon hatcheries to help restore declining orca populations on Puget Sound. Under Senate Bill 5824, the first new hatchery would go to Bellingham, testing the Alaska model for hatchery management in Washington state. In Alaska, hatcheries are largely self-funded …